


Letters at a Distance

by Badgermole



Series: Colors [22]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: ASL, Doctor Appointment, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Sign Language, Sunglasses, ocular albinism, optometrist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28784421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badgermole/pseuds/Badgermole
Summary: Remy has a migraine that makes him miss one of Virgil's signing lessons. Virgil invites him to come to the eye doctor with him.(Just read it, Nike Swoosh!)
Series: Colors [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1184909
Comments: 6
Kudos: 97





	Letters at a Distance

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! This was not what I was trying to write, but this story was floating around. Hope you all are chugging along. =)

Logan was surprised how quickly his son took to Anton and Remy, especially Remy. Aside from Roman, Virgil would avoid the other kids at the playground. Both boys in a sense had been thrust upon Virgil, so perhaps that was the reason. But honestly, it didn’t matter because Remy, even without a color name, had become a friend. Remy didn’t totally seem on board yet, but Virgil definitely was. Logan could see it.

So when Remy missed a signing lesson, resting at home with a tough migraine, Virgil was understandably upset. A combination of a slight routine change and his friend missing led to a very uncooperative Virgil who flailed around angrily on the couch. The angry motion was enough to get Squoosh to hiss at her owner from her perch on the cat tower in the corner. Anton profusely apologized for not sending word ahead of time that his son wouldn’t be able to make it.

Logan and Anton moved to the kitchen to give Virgil some space to calm down with Patton. The glasses-wearing man held up his hand as Anton moved to apologize again.

[He cares a lot about his friends.] Logan signed with a hopefully reassuring shrug. Anton’s face indeed lost some of its tension and he gave a small smile. Remy gave off the same vibes of solitude that Logan was all too familiar with. He glanced back into the living room where Squoosh’s hisses at least had quieted down. [We don’t have to do a lesson today.]

The lessons were pretty freeform now that Virgil had a good grasp on all the words on his cards, so Anton hadn’t really prepared anything specific.

[How about today we do some words that relate to Remy? Perhaps different signs that he likes?] Anton offered. That would probably brighten the boy’s mood and it would make Remy’s return even that more exciting.

Logan nodded. It was going to be hard getting Virgil to sit down and learn after getting worked up so much, but that would at least keep his interest.

  
  


Anton sighed as he kicked off his shoes and hung up his jacket. The small purple boy had done a one-eighty once he explained the day’s lesson, which was great, but Anton had forgotten how tiring being around hearing people could be. Logan had been very quick with picking things up and had done a pretty good job of interpreting and making sure they all got the right definitions. But still, the man was learning himself and the lesson went slower than normal. Even with a shortened lesson so Remy wouldn’t be home alone for too long, Anton was exhausted.

After grabbing a cup of tea, Anton found his son laying on his back on the couch with a damp washcloth over his eyes. As he bent down to sit in the nearby armchair, he rapped his knuckles against the table just to make sure Remy knew he was back. Remy gave a small wave with his right hand, not moving it far off his chest. The pair stayed simply existing in the same space for a while before Anton put down his half-finished drink and started clicking through his phone.

“Purple was pretty upset that you weren’t able to make it,” A robotic voice chirped.

Remy tensed for a second before giving a small wave to lower the volume. He listened as the volume clicked down but didn’t reply. He wasn’t really sure about the kid yet. Virgil was kind of like a weird little cousin. The kid your parents forced you to hang out with family gatherings because no one wanted to. He guessed Virgil was fine though. The kid was still really young and didn’t seem to have much to him aside from his obsession with colors.

“We decided to do today’s lesson on different signs related to you and ones that you like,” the phone continued. Remy let out a small smile as he pulled up his middle finger. Anton’s hand slapped onto the coffee table before a flurry of clicks filled the room.

“No, not those.” Even with the towel over his eyes, he could tell his dad was smiling. Before he could stop it, he started to laugh a bit. Really a bad idea in retrospect as the pounding in his head swam right back up to the forefront of his mind.

Right, that was a thing. Remy grumbled to his mind. He listened as his dad walked out of the room, returning a few minutes later and pressing a new washcloth in his hands.

[Thanks.] Remy dropped his hand from his chin. As quickly as he dared to move while being quick enough to avoid the most light, Remy swapped out the towels on his face. He sighed in relief of the new cold against his skin. Anton grabbed the old towel before adding another cold object into Remy’s hands. It took a few seconds for his numb fingers to figure out what he was holding. It was one of those soft ice packs and Remy happily shoved it under his head onto the back of his neck. He felt like crap, but the dark cold was gently numbing the pain.

Before the ice lulled him to sleep he heard his father’s phone chirp, “That’s a gift from Virgil. He wanted to make sure you’d get better soon.”

  
  


Remy stood outside the storefront doing his best not to look at it. He was pretty sure his hands were going to rip holes in his pockets if he kept grabbing and pulling the fabric in his nervous hands. He wouldn’t say he had a phobia, but he was pretty sure he would have rathered been doing anything else.

“Remy!” He was pretty sure he could feel a couple stitches come undone in his pocket as he jolted up at his name.

Logan and Virgil made their way over to him. Remy just gave a half nod toward the pair, trying to keep up his rather aloof attitude. He had agreed to come with them under his own free will so they didn’t need to know he didn’t want to be there.

“Are you coming in?” Logan asked and Remy realized the older man was holding the door, Virgil already disappeared into the lobby.

Remy clenched his jaw and with a deep breath he stepped through the threshold, catching the name of the office one more time on the door-- Family Optometrist.

  
  


Given what he knew about Virgil, Remy had expected the visit to be rougher. Sure Virgil seemed pretty tense with the various instruments coming near his face and had to redo some tests again because he kept moving, but it was actually pretty smooth. He was handling it better than Remy would have.

The two boys made their way into the main examination room while Logan and the doctor discussed the results of the first round of testing. Remy hated how these rooms were always so big and empty with the chair surrounded by arms of instruments and tools all the way in the back half of the room while the small eye chart sat away on the opposite wall. He was always surprised to find that the room didn’t reek of chemicals and cleaners. At least in this room he could sit all the way over in the corner away from the doctor and the equipment. That other room was not made for four people. Remy dropped into the chair nestled in the corner with a sigh. Soon it would be over and all he had to keep doing was nothing.

The older boy really had no idea why Purple wanted him to come. These places always gave him bad vibes and the pair was barely acquaintances. They only really interacted in any meaningful way when they sat on the counter together after each signing lesson. Remy had really appreciated the small purple ice pack his father had brought home with him as a get well soon gift from Virgil. That still wasn’t enough to warrant a mostly stranger to come along to an eye doctor appointment.

Virgil was a strange kid though. Like right now.

“Hmm?” Remy stared at the smaller kid who had positioned himself in front of Remy.

Virgil pointed toward the chair that seemed even farther away on an island of its own.

“Yeah. You can sit,” Remy shrugged. Despite being a bit tense during the tests and examinations themselves, the kid seemed to be perfectly fine knowing the order of operations here. It was pretty obvious that he would need to sit in the chair across the room.

[You. There.] Virgil pointed.

Remy felt his face start to pale. “No, you go sit. It’s your appointment, gurl.”

Virgil repeated the motions.

“I can’t sit with you.” Remy frowned.

Virgil seemed confused, but Remy didn’t know what to tell him. This was Virgil’s appointment and Remy was not going anywhere near that chair.

Oh god. Virgil started rapidly blinking while his hand started tugging at the beanie on his head. Remy tried to convince himself it was just a side effect from the examinations from the other room rather than the younger boy trying not to cry. It wasn’t his fault the kid didn’t understand. He couldn’t make it any more clearer.

[You go and sit.] Remy signed in an attempt to have a more soothing tone, perhaps he had let more of his annoyance bleed through his speech than he thought he did. But Virgil didn’t seem to respond any differently to that. At least he still wasn’t crying.

“The doctor seemed nice?” Remy offered with a small shrug.

Virgil’s free hand formed a fist and nodded a good handful of times. His blinking slowed slightly, but his eyes were still pretty glassy with tears yet to fall. Virgil hadn’t seemed to have any reservations in the previous room so Remy couldn’t see why Virgil had suddenly gotten scared. Maybe because Logan wasn’t in here? But then again, neither was the doctor.

“Yeah, gurl, no need to worry.”

Virgil’s fist continued to bob up and down. Remy took that as a sign he was trying to psych himself up. The hard part of the appointment was over. All that was left now was to read some letters and they’d be done.

[Good.] Remy dropped his hand from his chin into his other palm. The old boy relaxed back into the chair and closed his eyes. Look at him, easily handling a small child’s problem. Of course, the feel-good feelings were short-lived as Remy didn’t hear Virgil’s footsteps heading toward the examination chair. Instead, he heard them start to shuffle closer to his own chair.

Remy just got his eyes open as Virgil started to pull down the sunglasses from Remy’s nose.

[Oh hell no.] Remy bolted up straight in his chair. Virgil stared as Remy hastily pushed the glasses back up his face. Remy’s hands flew around angrily cursing out the little kid in front of him. By the time he had calmed himself down, tears were streaking down Virgil’s face.

[Look…] Remy started lamely and Virgil dropped his head to stare at the floor. “Personal space, that’s a thing. You know about that, right?”

Virgil responded only by pulling on his beanie more adamantly.

They shouldn’t be taking this long, Remy thought to himself as he hoped the pair of adults would come back soon and save him from this situation. He groaned and looked up at the ceiling now completely lost as what to do.

A tap on his foot brought his head back down to Virgil. The smaller boy’s hands were flitting around looking like they were trying to sign something, but Remy couldn’t make anything out.

“Hey, slow and take your time.” Remy said softly. He leaned forward as Virgil tried to better control his hands. The signing was as wild and free form as it had been, but now it seemed the boy over-corrected and was tight small movements hidden close to his hunched over chest.

Remy went to give a comforting pat on the kid’s back before thinking better of it. Aside from lifting him onto the counter after signing lessons, touching was a big no-no. So Remy, not so patiently, waited until Virgil said something understandable.

  
  


“Orange, red, green…” Remy started interpreting the color signs.

Virgil’s hands froze for a few seconds as Remy’s voice broke the silence that had fallen between the two.

“Feeling better?” Remy asked hesitantly. Where the heck were the adults.

[You. There. You. Glasses.]

Oh.

“My glasses aren’t like your dad’s,” Remy explained. He never mentioned his sunglasses and neither had the Sanders which was something he had greatly appreciated.

The younger boy pointed back toward the chair.

“I don’t need to be checked out. I’m okay.” Remy could tell Virgil wanted to point back toward the chair again. “I’m okay.”

Virgil stared back at Remy’s sunglasses; just off his eyeline enough that Remy could tell he was looking at the hinge and not directly at Remy.

[O-K?] Virgil’s fingers tripped over the K but Remy nodded.

[Okay.] Remy reassured.

Virgil slowly shuffled over to the large chair and, almost reluctantly, climbed into the chair. Remy watched as Virgil gently knocked his feet back and forth against the solid foot rest. It might have been the distance, but it didn’t look like Virgil was crying anymore. That’s good, Remy observed, didn’t need Logan coming back and seeing that.

[What is taking them so long?] Remy signed toward the door as if that would cause the pair to reappear.

[Glasses.] Virgil signed, not stopping the rhythmic thumb of his feet.

Remy cringed at himself. Of course, if Virgil was here for an appointment, why wouldn’t Logan book himself too? He couldn’t stop the groan that rose out of his mouth as he realized it was going to take ages before he could leave. At least his little corner chair was padded.

[Remy.]

The older boy nearly missed the hesitant name sign. But there was Virgil, holding the R as though he was grabbing the frames of some sunglasses. Remy was surprised to say the least. He was under the impression that Virgil didn’t address people by their own names, aside from Squoosh the Devil itself.

[Yeah?] Remy signed back slowly as though not to frighten the boy. Virgil looked absolutely fine given how he was barely a few minutes ago, but something told him to approach with caution.

[Glasses. You.]

Remy drummed his fingers on his leg. He didn’t want to talk about it. Ask him about his father’s deafness and he could comfortably ramble on for days but about his own condition, he’d really rather not.

Virgil repeated the signs.

“You’re persistent,” Remy grumbled.

Virgil signed the words a third time.

Remy pinched the wrinkled skin between his eyebrows and cut Virgil off as he went to sign the two cursed words for a fourth time.

[Ocular albinism. I don’t have a lot of color in my eyes. It makes it blurry sometimes and messes with my depth perception. I’m very sensitive to light.] Remy paused to wave around the room. [It ends up giving me some really crappy migraines. But it’s fine. I live with it.]

Remy shrugged and was pretty sure most of that went over Virgil’s head, but that was kind of the point. It might’ve been rude, but he leaned his head back and closed his eyes waiting for the appointment to finally be over.

  
  


Remy sat back on the counter trying to avoid Squoosh’s sharp claws as she leapt for his new socks. He hadn’t lost a pair yet and he wasn’t going to start now. Through the gap in the wall, he could see his dad and the Sanders trio huddled around finishing off the last signs of the day. Remy hadn’t been in the mood today and ducked out into the kitchen far earlier than he normally would have. Virgil just kept staring at him whenever Anton wasn’t signing. It was honestly starting to creep Remy out. But the lesson was ending and he’d be able to head back home to his own couch safe from the devil cat and the strange kind-of-friend boy.

A tug on his pant leg signaled that Virgil needed help up. Remy scooted over slightly to clear a larger space and reached down for the other boy. Instead of letting Remy’s arms grab him, Virgil ducked away nearly causing Remy to fall off the counter.

“Gurl.” Remy gave a light frown as Virgil again dodged out of the way of his hands. How else was he supposed to get up on the counter?

As Virgil came closer a third time, Remy didn't even try to move toward the boy. If he didn’t want to come up, that was his problem.

[Glasses.] Virgil signed and Remy felt his stomach drop. They had already discussed this at the optometrist and he really really was in no mood to continue the conversation. The kid just needed to drop it already.

But to his surprise, Virgil dug into the pouch on his hoodie and pulled out a small rectangle wrapped in purple wrapping paper.

“Thanks?” Remy skeptically took the small box and looked it over. There wasn’t much to it, a pretty small rectangle with generic purple paper. The present gave off indistinguishable Purple vibes. Virgil’s mouth twitched in what probably was a smile.

Remy ran his fingers over the smooth paper one last time before tucking his finger under the piece of tape and pulling. Before he got the tape off though, Virgil let out a whine that stopped Remy in his tracks.

“What?” Remy said suddenly worried the gift wasn’t in fact for him. Thankfully, Virgil outstretched his arms up to be picked up. “Gurl, you could’ve given me this after you got up here.”

Even with his own whining, Remy grabbed the boy and hoisted the smaller boy up next to him. Virgil scooted a bit closer than he would normally sit and focused all his attention on the purple gift. After a bit of staring at Virgil, Remy went back to removing the tape off one end of the box. The wrapping paper fell away easily and Virgil seemed excited to take the sheet.

A glasses case, something Remy knew all too well. He thought his fingers got a bit colder but pushed on and opened the case. Inside, greeting him once again, was a gift that was perfectly Purple. A pair of dark sunglasses in a very dark almost black shade of transparent purple frames.

[Glasses. You.] Virgil signed.

And for once, it didn’t bother Remy.


End file.
